Story: Wetland birds

Banded rail on nest with eggs

Banded rail on nest with eggs

Banded rails nest in dense rushes or grasses, where females lay from three to six pale-brown or pinkish eggs with darker blotches. Adults take turn to incubate the eggs, which hatch after 18 days. Chicks fledge at five to six weeks, and are then evicted from the territory.

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Photograph by Geoff Moon

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How to cite this page:

Christina Troup, 'Wetland birds - Rails and crakes', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/14652/banded-rail-on-nest-with-eggs (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Christina Troup, published 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015